CALIFORNIA. 165 



and Alvarado, the inspector of the customs, who was threatened with 

 arrest. The popularity of Alvarado with the foreigners caused them 

 at once to take a warm interest in his behalf; and, without inquiring 

 into the right or wrong of the business, they espoused his cause. Alva- 

 rado fled to the country, and raised the standard of revolt in the pueblo 

 of San Juan, some leagues from Monterey. The people of California 

 being naturally lazy, ignorant, and indifferent, required some strong 

 stimulus to arouse them ; but this was effected, and in consequence of 

 the dissoluteness of the priesthood, and the loss of clerical influence 

 with the lower orders, which ten years of their bad management of the 

 missions had brought about, they were quite unable to restrain the 

 people. It has even been alleged that they favoured the design, in 

 order to have a change, and avoid the heavy exactions that had been 

 made upon them of late by the governor. Be this so or not, there was 

 either no exertion made by the clergy in favour of the government, or 

 their power was too insignificant to be effective. 



The people were easily persuaded that a shameful misappropriation 

 of public funds had taken place, and that the robbery of the missions 

 was still going on. The discovery that Chico, who, as has been 

 stated, was forced to resign in favour of the then governor, had de- 

 frauded the troops of their pay, and the missions of twenty thousand 

 dollars, satisfied every one that such embezzlement was going on, and 

 furnished a powerful incentive to many to join the standard of Alva- 

 rado. He was now acting under the advice and by the directions of 

 the foreigners, who declared their intentions to be — 1st. To hoist a 

 new flag, and declare California independent of Mexico. 2d. To banish 

 all Mexicans. 3d. That California should be declared an independent 

 state; and 4th. That all foreigners then under arms, or who took part 

 in the revolution, should be declared citizens. These declarations, 

 although they had the desired effect, were evidently made rather to 

 satisfy the foreigners than to please the natives, and are supposed to 

 have emanated from the administrador Ramierez, and Penne. These 

 men, the most able of the Californians, were desirous to make use of 

 the foreigners to gain their own ends, in which they so far succeeded, 

 that although the foreigners were, in regard to fighting, the prominent 

 actors in the involution, the result proved that they were but tools em- 

 ployed to gain the ulterior ends of these two designing pei'sons. 



Alvarado was now directed to move forward towards Monterey, 

 which from all accounts he was of himself unwilling to do ; but the 

 directors of his movements impelled him forward. Who these were, 

 is not well known ; but the presumption is, that various citizens of the 

 United States, as well as of England, advised and gave him promises 



